South Korean scientists create Tegon, the glow-in-the-dark dog

Meet Tegon. She's a beagle and she lives in South Korea.
Oh, and she's been genetically engineered to glow fluorescent green when under
ultraviolet light.

Researchers from South Korea have used cloning techniques to
create a dog that will let off an impressive green glow when a doxycycline antibiotic is slipped into its
food. Without the drug, the dog's superhero powers will
fade.

The team from Seoul National University made Tegon using the
same somatic cell nuclear transfer technology that they used to
create to the world's first cloned dog, Snuppy, in
2005.

Tegon isn't just a £1.8 million (3.2 billion won) gimmick,
though. Because dogs share 268 illnesses with humans, genetically
modified dogs can help investigate potential cures for those deadly ailments.

"The creation of Tegon opens new horizons since the gene
injected to make the dog glow can be substituted with genes that
trigger fatal human diseases," lead researcher Lee Byeong-chun told
Reuters. By triggering a disease like Alzheimer's or
Parkinson's, researchers can explore new medicines and
treatments.

Edited by Duncan Geere

Comments

Show me a dog that really glows in the dark and then I may believe you.